Trappers commonly use leg hold traps for capturing small game, such as red and gray foxes, bobcats, coyotes, raccoons and the like, mainly for pelts. The traps are relatively simple and inexpensive, but using them effectively is an art that is ordinarily learned through long experience by trial and error. To catch particularly wily animals, such as foxes, the trap must be carefully concealed. Evidence of disturbance of the trapping site must be minimized and no human scent should be left at the site. Achieving these ends normally requires both skill and experience.
Typically, a site for setting a trap for a fox is selected near brush or other vegetation that acts as a backing that the fox will not penetrate. A hole that is slightly deeper than the height of the trap when the trap is in the set position is excavated near the vegetation. The trap is set on the earth in the bottom of the hole, the trigger or pan of the trap is protected and the hole is refilled with dirt that has been removed from the hole and sifted. The removed soil is sifted to remove stones, twigs and like debris that may interfere with the operation of the trap. Alternatively, dirt that has already been sifted may be brought to the site by the trapper and used to fill the hole. In either case, the hole is filled to or slightly below the level of the surrounding earth. After the hole is filled, soil is carefully placed over the pan to conceal it without triggering the trap. It is important that the dirt be packed into hole around the trap with sufficient firmness. Since the pan is located near the center of the trap when it is set, it is possible for a fox or other animal wandering around the trap site to step on the excavated site, and even on one of the trap jaws, without triggering the trap. If the earth yields beneath the animal's foot, the animal is alerted to an unnatural condition and will leave the site without being trapped. Therefore, soil must be packed in the excavation as tightly as possible, except around the pan, to simulate the original, undisturbed ground conditions. It can be particularly critical to pack the soil properly under the so-called free jaw of the trap. The free jaw is not held in place when the trap is in its set position, but is free to rotate upward and slightly downward on its axis of rotation. Since in most sets a foot of the animal must cross over the free jaw before reaching the pan, the earth supporting the free jaw must be carefully packed to prevent the yielding that discloses the presence of the trap. Of course, the ground must not be too tightly packed around the free jaw or other parts of the trap or else the trap will be fouled by dirt and the speed of the closing of its jaws will be slowed. Slow trap closure can allow faster animals, such as foxes, to escape the closing jaws.
Many trappers deposit a scented liquid at a trap site to lure curious animals to the trap. Whether or not an alluring scent is deposited at the site, it is difficult to eliminate the human odor that is invariably left as a result of the excavation and repacking of soil. Since foxes, in particular, have an extremely keen sense of smell, minimizing the traces of human presence is important for successful trapping. Frequently, the sifted soil removed from the excavation is insufficient to fill the hole with the trap in it. Removed debris reduces the volume of the sifted soil and the soil is often packed into the hole more densely by the trapper than it was by nature. In wet conditions, none of the excavated wet soil or mud may be suitable for filling the excavation properly. Therefore, the trapper must usually carry extra soil with him to supplement or replace the excavated soil. Since extra soil can carry odors that may alert a curious animal to the presence of a trap and can leave an unnatural appearance where the extra soil does not blend well with the existing soil, its use should also be minimized.
The successful trapper attains a high quality set by working quickly. By using the shortest possible set time, the trapper minimizes the amount of his own scent that is left at the site. But there is a limit even to the experienced trapper's speed, since it is essential to pack the excavation properly and to leave the site with as natural an appearance as possible. In the invention, the speed with which a trapper can achieve a high quality set is increased over that previously obtainable.